The project's major goals include creating two polyclave
keys that will visually capture the way botanical experts
identify species; teaching and observing nonprofessionals
in using these keys for species identification; enlisting
community citizens in documenting selected plant habitats
via PrarieWatch and ForestWatch in Illinois and Wildflower
and TreeWatch in North Carolina; and producing an information
store of high-quality botanical images that support species
identification. The design of the project provides a framework
that will foster scientific learning by citizen scientists
who want to assist in documenting plant habits necessary
for monitoring changes in the environment. The polyclave
keys with data gathered by citizen scientists will be made
available to other libraries and museums throughout the
World Wide Web after development and testing.